The busy summer travel season is quickly approaching and we’ve been busy planning many projects to be completed by the end of April.  The great thing about an inn is that it is non-corporate, like a hotel or motel chain, and improvement decisions can happen quickly.  We’ve been watching industry trends and reading the comment cards that our guests leave after their visits to our inn.  Brian and I have a pretty large list of changes we want to see happen in the next few months and some have already begun.  Our staff has always been eager to pitch in during our slower times with projects that encompass much more than their regular duties.

Lori has been working for us in housekeeping for many, many years and aside from being “type A” and loving everything in its place she has been a professional painter and worked in the floral industry.  This is Lori’s favorite time of year when the paint samples come out and we begin to assess “where to begin”.  We always start with one project but invariably this sets off an avalanche of other projects that we would love to tackle.  Usually then, Brian comes in and reminds us of reality.

Currently we are working simultaneously on updates to five rooms.  It all began when Brian and I were innocently walking through a furniture store and found a beautiful king sized headboard at an attractive price.   Years ago we were so pleased with ourselves for removing all the full sized beds and replacing with queens.  Could we fit a king into the mix giving us two in the inn???  We decided to go for it and we ordered a mattress and all the necessary linen to have another king bed at the inn.  That excellent price on the headboard was a distant memory.  A few weeks later before the delivery I had a dream, more like a nightmare….uh oh, how will it get up to the third floor.  We’ll, I have such great respect for furniture delivery men and though we had to break out the saw and make a little edit here and there, the bed is safe and sound in Room 9, on the third floor.  This larger bed has pushed out the side tables, but we have a plan for our carpenter (Ray…..I need you now 🙂 ) to come in and make recessed shelves in the walls to each side of the bed.  Remember when I said avalanche…..I’m sure you have this occur in your own decorating at home.  One innocent change and ‘poof’ the pressure is on to make it all look cohesive again.  This one headboard has precipitated the ‘need’ for new sconces, painting and a shuffle of other furniture in the room.  The ‘shuffling’ is where Chef MacKenzie comes in to play.  Besides having the ability to cook a five course dinner for a hundred people at one time, he can move stuff really well. 🙂     We still have some tweaking to do to Room 9, but it is on its way to being ready for summer.  In the meantime we are moving around our inn making various changes.  We’ll keep you updated, but here is our punch list:

Room 1:  new sleighbed, new wallpaper, newly painted walls, ceiling and bathroom.
Room 4:  new sofabed, new sitting room wall color, new curtains, new carpeting
Room 5:  new curtains, new bedroom wall color, new chair
Room 9:  see above
Room 10:  new trim paint
Room 12:  new tile in bath, new bath fixures, conversion of closet (drawers?, spot for small tv?, mini fridge?  this is a work in progress)
Office: new desk, new granite counter at guest check-in area
Entryway:  Replace metal door and sidelights, new outdoor sconces, new door hardware
Barn:  Don’t even get me started!!!  Uggh.
Inn exterior:  Paint, shutter upgrade.
Website:  Accolade & Review Page, Re-work of home page.

We hope you get the opportunity to visit us!  We shut rooms here and there to accommodate the progress, but remain open overall.  Much of this work goes on behind closed doors.

Our winter rates (*two night min.) through mid-April and summer weekends are booking up.  Plan your trip soon.  We’d love to see you.

Linda, Brian and all our amazing, smiley staff